Petaluma vs Sebastopol vs Healdsburg v Santa Rosa (Vincent, Sonoma: low crime, houses)

[tg9999]

Going to Santa Rosa in a couple days for an interview for a great job. If I get the job we will be moving to Sonoma County. I'm in my early 50's, my wife is in her 40's, and we have a pre-school age daughter. We're lucky in that we can afford to buy a home anywhere in the 4 towns/cities above. My wife is going to quit work and stay home with our daughter if I get the job.

Our most important needs are: safe neighborhood, good restaurants within 10 - 15 minutes, good areas to walk We also like neighborhoods with a heavy concentration of old homes. For us old homes = pre-1940's homes. (We live in a neighborhood like that right now.) Can anyone offer recommendations re neighborhoods in the above 4 towns/cities??? What's your favorite neighborhood???

I will be working just off of 101, a mile or two north of downtown Santa Rosa. I will be starting work around 8:00 a.m. We visited Petaluma a few years back and the morning rush hour traffic from Petaluma to Santa Rosa wasn't too bad. Did we just get lucky or is the northbound traffic always light like that???
And how is the traffic from Sebastopol or Healdsburg to Santa Rosa???

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

[OwlKaMyst]

I think you probably got lucky.
Out of you picks, mine would be Healdsburg, 2nd would be Sebastopol.
Santa Rosa has some pretty nice areas on the far eastern end. But they are far for where most of the food is but still a short drive. And it is congested in my opinion. But still 'nice'.
If you had been willing to drive the distance from Petaluma, then you might want to consider going east on hwy 12 as far as Sonoma. A few little communities out that way.

[Steelhead69]

I would second Owl's reccomendations. Nicer, safer areas in general with older houses. Less built up, neat small downtowns and plenty of eateries and "craft/local" style specialty shops. Since you'll be commuting to north SR then Healdsburg will be closer and you'll miss any traffic you would experience headed north from Petaluma. Plus if you have the $$ to buy a house in H'burg you will be able to afford to eat there too!

[cre8lite]

healdsburg gets hotter than santa rosa during the summer time, petaluma is cooler than santa rosa. as with any town, there are good & bad places to live in each location.

petaluma has more of the pre-1940s homes, but they also come at a price. since petaluma is closer to san francisco, the prices tend to be higher there than the other towns you've listed.

as for commute, i think you got lucky. i'd rather commute from the north than the south.

[daviddp]

You will be lucky to find anything in Sebastopol the prices are skyrocketing and homes are snapped up as soon as they are listed. Sebastopol is in a Micro Climate so it is much more comfortable then healdsburg. It has great places to eat, concerts in the park, great international bands at hop munk, great schools, low crime, friendly people, the Barlow district, etc. I wouldn't look at Petaluma or Santa Rosa. The best choice is Sebastopol and second would be Healdsburg. You will probably be able to find something in Healdsburg or you could take your time and engage in bidding wars for something in Sebastopol. Good Luck.

[LoriBee62]

Sebastopol, Healdsburg, Petaluma all have very different vibes. Healdsburg puts you square in wine country, it's the smallest of the three towns and also the warmest climate. Sebastopol has the highest rated schools, and as such, you get a crowd of people who place a high priority on education. You'll find more kids activities in Sebastopol than you will in Healdsburg. I tend to think of Healdsburg as more of an "adult town", wine tasting, antique shops, etc. Sebastopol also has a larger community of farming, folks with property, lots of residents who garden. Sebastopol is pretty eclectic.

Petaluma is quickly becoming the suburb to Marin. Schools are good on the west side, sports is a big deal. There's also St. Vincent if you are looking for a private school.

Among the three towns, you aren't going to see a startling difference in traffic. All three are about the same distance from your job. You'll have a reverse commute from Petaluma (most traffic on 101 goes south to Marin). Something to keep in mind is the SMART train is coming. It will get you from Petaluma to SR, a stop in Healdsburg is in a later phase, so who knows when that will be a reality. It won't be going to Sebastopol at all.

Restaurants in the three towns are a draw, really.